CJs Aquatics

I would like to take what I have and organize it for more optimum viewing and breeding, I would ideally like to breed one of my puffer species as well and to have the red lizard whiptails actually yield fry not just eggs… shrimp tanks are fun, I’ve battled it over the years but I’m pleased to say I have a colony currently going well which I will also update on

This is a good strategy, if it were me I would as I’m assuming you already are establish a baseline of amount/ duration of ferts and try it for a few weeks. Physically or subliminally document the changes in your tank whilst performing your regular maintenance. If your plants start growing like crazy you know your levels are good with regards to fert, if the algae starts growing like crazy I would make an adjustment. For me everything is on basically a 30 day rule. I test things for 30 days to see how they effect the system as a whole. Everything from ferts, to meds, tabs, anything I put in my tank which can alter conditions. I use trial, error, and process of elimination on one issue at a time or conversely success at a time and it’s based on what I deem as the highest priority. I’ve had great success with this method personally and learned a lot in the process

Edit: - Java moss is very forgiving, best thing to do for it or rather what I’ve had most success with is placing it, fert or root tab it, and make sure it has adequate light. Sometimes it’s in transition when recently added, if u notice your losing it drastically try growing it out of water for while then reintroduce it when it bounces back, it will have to transition again but it allows you to dial in what your missing and buys you time, it’s my favorite set it and forget it plant. - I wouldn’t even pay attention to the blinking light at all, i used to disconnect them altogether on my cheaper hob filters. Optimize it with whatever media you like then when you do water changes just rinse it in aquarium water and put it back. If your using floss you can discard it when it gets real gunked up and replace. Your BB is all over the tank, as long as you service the filter properly it shouldn’t be a problem at all - algae: no quick fix. It’s telling you your tank is starting to balance itself, I battle it with water changes and manual removal depending on the type. You can go the chemical route or try dialing in the lighting/ ferts but I would just let it go for a bit to determine it’s cause. Is it doing better then your plants? If that’s the case adjust the way they receive nutrients, help them outcompete the algae and water change often - root tabs/ light/ time will tell as far as the baby tears in my opinion hope this helps

Hello and welcome, the tank looks great. If I were to offer any advice it’s to give it time. Everything your describing gives you information. I would take the info your tank is giving you, make small, adjustments as they are called for, and honestly enjoy it. Overcorrection has caused me problems in the past, sometimes it’s called for, however most of the time in my opinion it’s just all about balance. I could dive into much greater detail but honestly the purpose of this response was just to welcome you, tell you it’s exciting to watch others hobbies grow, and to urge you to genuinely enjoy it, it’s an inspiring journey. You are on the right track, give it time, keep on top of your maintenance, dial in your numbers, watch your parameters, and enjoy…

Hey all, long time no chat, thought it might be cool to discuss some of your projects for this new year and perhaps draw inspiration from each other, anyone have any plans or currently working on anything interesting?

Hello everyone, I have a cycled 10 gallon that’s currently not housing anything. Are there any nano tank freshwater puffers other then the peas which I already have that I could put in there, or perhaps cares species or other fun reccomendations?

Hey all, my favorite pet fish Jabba the dragon puffer kind of seems bored. I may be over thinking things but it led me to question is there anything I can do or add that will provide him with some enrichment of some kind? He’s in a tank by himself currently because of his aggressive nature, is very excited when he sees me moving, will follow fingers and essentially beg for food but it was just something I was wondering, I know it’s probably an odd question but any insight would be helpful, thanks

Hey all, anyone run activated carbon?, I would love to hear from someone with experience rather then the internet of some of the reasons you choose to use it and some of the pros and cons you’ve personally noticed. I know it is chemical filtration in the sense it removes toxins and medications from the water and that it needs to be replaced over time, aside from that what can you tell me about it I know some people shun it and others swear by it…

I had great success grabbing mine from Dustin’s fish tanks before

Welcome back, your tank looks great, I really enjoy the vivarium build as well, can’t wait to see how things progress

Thank you for checking, it appears it’s 2 males and a female, in a tank with spawning brushes, and then he seems to change them from another tank with unknown parameters which triggers them to spawn, do you happen to recognize the language it’s in by chance?

Dyndsmerling misgurnus fossilis is the name of the channel I saw it on

Hey all, hope everyone who celebrates is having a happy holiday. One of the fish that got me started in this hobby was when I ran into the dojo loach for the first time. It was just so different from everything I had seen I had to have them, and I still keep them today. Many of you who have seen me on here have seen posts about them before. That being said, I would consider it a fish that is “hard to breed” as most of the people who do so it has been undocumented happy accidents for the most part. I have this secret goal of one day being known in my area for breeding something different, and really want to try with them. I found a video on YouTube where someone is successful in it and documents things very well however it is in a language I don’t speak/ can’t identify. My question is if there is anyone who would be interested in possibly taking a look at the channel and seeing if they can offer any insight as to what this successful breeder does so I can attempt it… let me know thanks

Beautiful tank

I can’t identify it but personally I wouldn’t be to worried about it harming things if it’s a plant, actually would probably be pretty cool to document and see what progresses along the way in my opinion

@tolstoy21 that’s honestly genius

@nabokovfan87 how quickly does it change? being that it is a shrimp tank, I know they are more sensitive to parameter fluctuations and honestly water changed less frequently, but conversely benefit from the added grazing ability botanicals add, I don’t mind the color or the tannins, I’m nervous about the water quality fluctuation

Hey all, is this a molt or a casualty? It appears mostly clear

@nabokovfan87 jimmys method is just put them in the tank it appears? 🤣 maybe im overthinking it

Thanks everyone, @Comradovich they aren’t wet they are packaged bone dry, some leaves some cones and some cholla, I have a 10 gallon tank with about 15 shrimp in there 2 kinds of moss, deep sand substrate, and some plants that were algae ridden I chose to use instead of pitch, I want to add some to the tank to give more grazing options but I’m concerned about how many to add to that size tank without effecting the water quality/ having to add chemicals and things, also should I prep all of them then repackage what I don’t use or do I have to prep them each time?

Hey all, got some shrimp, set up the tank, it came with some botanicals, in the past I have just dropped them in the tank but also had little success with my shrimp keeping so I thought I would ask the plant people out there what’s the appropriate way to prep botanicals for a shrimp tank? Came with leaves cones and cholla wood. Also how much before it starts to alter ph? Bc I don’t necessarily want that… Thanks in advanced

Just getting into shrimp but I just recently heard people have managed to keep them in hard water but the discussion consisted of you have better success with that long term if you can manage to get them to breed in it. Leads me to believe the trick is in raising them from young in harder water but to answer your question I just watched videos where people have done it I just think it isn’t prevalent or easy so it’s suggested by the internet not to… personally I have had a terrible time keeping regular neos over the years. Currently trying again. My water is perfect for neos, every parameter, did everything I was supposed to and they have died time and time again, hopefully this time it goes right bc I love shrimp… Flip side of the coin, I kept crystal reds in a 2.5 gallon using distilled water and really nothing else and they bred like crazy so the moral of the story is, in my opinion, I don’t see why you couldn’t…. Happy shrimping 🙃

I love this and it’s amazing to hear stories about how things come full circle, inspiring, also a Star Wars nerd myself so that gets extra points 🙃

Thank you I’m gonna look into it

Hey all, another odd question here… a while back the coop posted a video doing a tour of a facility based in Europe I believe it was. They had tanks that used some sort of a divider that housed a sand bed on the back wall of the tank and I’m in love with that idea. Anyone aware of the video can you point me in the right direction to purchase whatever that divider was or possibly just give me some general info on how I can perhaps diy something similar, what to purchase or build, basically seeking info on that it was pretty cool and I run a lot of deep sand beds as it is so that was fascinating, thanks